distractions can't keep me away from you
by happyoreokidd
Summary: Harvey and Donna, set in the universe during Season 7, Mike and Rachel wedding. Surrounded by a whole venue of people, can Harvey and Donna look at anyone else but each other? Probably not.


Don't know why I'm writing... Don't know what I'm watching (wtf Season 7?) Poking my head in to vent out my frustrations, hope you enjoy~

* * *

The ceremony had been beautiful, which was to be expected. After all, a large half of it was due to the expertise of no one but Donna Paulsen. While Rachel had gotten the ball rolling, her tendency to fall in love with every color, napkin style, and cake flavor had gotten in the way before Donna took the reins per Rachel's own request.

Rachel herself was also too busy turning heads when she walked down the aisle, anyway. One thing she had been adamant on was her decision on was her own wedding dress, an Ellie Saab number (nothing for the best of Pearson Specter Litt) that made her look like a literal Greek Goddess. Donna had teared up during the ceremony, half because her friend was getting married and half because Mike looked like he was the luckiest damn man on Earth and it was the sweetest expression she'd ever seen from the puppy.

Donna had stood by the beaming bride-to-be for the entirety of it. Jessica had been kind enough to get officiated and fly down to be at the center of it all, Louis and Sheila had somehow rekindled their fire and were sitting in the third row. She was pretty sure at one point, he was crying.

Which left...

 _Harvey_. Whom she had been actively avoiding ever since the fiasco with Mark had blown up in her face. It was relatively easy despite having offices next to each other; all one had to do was keep the doors closed, be completely thrown in the work, and get to the office before and leave after everyone else. Lately, she had no time to dwell on how she would probably never find the kind of love in her life her very best friend had just finished celebrating. Avoiding him now was just what she needed. Besides having to walk down the aisle with him as the Maid of Honor and Best man duo, it had been easy not making eye contact with him at the altar and she had shrunk back behind the crowd now, amidst the lively reception.

She could not bring it in herself to scan the room for Paula Agard. She had naturally developed a disdain for the woman for reasons she couldn't bring justice. Harvey being hers had never been true, nor could she deny that Paula knew Harvey probably just as well as she did. Regardless, it was not the time to dwell; dinner was going to be served soon, _and_ there was an open bar stocked with margaritas which would be an easy time-killer before she'd say her farewells within the next two hours or so...

"Is this seat taken?"

Donna looked up, for no good reason. She recognized the voice after 15 years of working with his dumb ass. There he was, _Harvey Reginald Specter_ , grinning like the Chesire Cat she had seen in him when they'd first met.

She couldn't hold back her groan. How had she Rachel and Mike would have given her a break by not seating them in close proximity was beyond her, considering how the two of them always like to play the "Parent-Trap" game.

"Wow, that excited to see me?" Harvey's smile instantly turned into a frown. Donna couldn't help be slightly joyous of the fact.

"You really don't have anywhere else to be? Or anyone else to _sit with?"_ If Donna really didn't want to know about Paula's whereabouts, she would soon find out.

"Er... I am here... _by myself_ today," Harvey's mouth opened and closed as if he was about to say something but decided against it.

"I refuse to be a pity sit, Harvey. Just because your girlfriend's not here."

"You're really going to let Creepy Tom over at Table #19 leer at you all evening?" He cocked an eyebrow, which infuriated Donna all the more.

"I've handled more Creepy Toms in my lifetime than your pretty face can ever imagine, Harvey", she retorted.

She had been undeniably lost this month, but her wit stayed true to her.

"Look... I _promise_ , this is not a pity sit. How can I prove it to you? Or could ya possibly trust me after 15 years of working together?"

Donna looked away to shield her look of hurt. Such bullshit. 15 years of their working relationship meant _nothing_ to him in comparison to his three months of therapy. Which she had triggered him to need, she couldn't help but add.

But what the hell was she to do? Creepy Tom _was_ leering, she had noticed, and it had been from the very moment she walked down the aisle to "Pomp and Circumstance". She signed in indignation. She should have known her dress probably cut too low, despite how well it fit her figure.

She thought clearly of a worthy trade for her presence. "Go to the salad bar and eat five olives."

His eyes widened. "But I hate-"

"You think I would ask you to eat them if I didn't know you hated them?"

"How did you even know-"

"I'm Donna." she couldn't help but smirk. He had revealed the fact when they had tried to order pizza on the firm's money years ago when they had just started at PSL again.

He huffed in defeat. "Alright, then, are you coming or not?"

She eyed him and slowly rose to her feet. "Lead the way, olive hater."

* * *

"Oh my god, these are terrible." Donna was currently nursing a choking Harvey with a tall glass of water, simultaneously biting her lip to refrain from laughter. Harvey, determined to be a man of bravado at all times, had taken the choice to eat all five at once without thinking of the physics of shoving all of them down his throat. It was pure luck the refreshments were right next to them, otherwise he would have been much more embarrassed.

He kept chugging the water and stood there for a minute after, gazing out the windows of the Plaza thinking about how he had almost faced death. His attention snapped back to her.

"There, are you happy now?"

"Yes."

"Am I allowed to sit next to you now?"

"Yes." She kicked herself for being easy to forgive, but she was tired of fighting it and saw no point in badgering herself of the fact when they were in such a happy environment. If Paula wasn't hers and they were allowed the free time around themselves, she didn't see what good it would do to ignore him the whole night. There was no one here to distract her either.

* * *

Harvey couldn't deny that in any capacity, Donna looked stunning. Tonight was no different. Dressed in a v-cut number with a thigh-high slit, makeup providing a natural glow and immediate tension with her fiery hair, Donna turned more heads than usual as she proceeded the bride. Harvey undoubtedly felt a sense of pride that she was on _his arm_ and that his royal blue tie matched the shade of her dress to a T.

 _Even if she wasn't his secretary anymore, there just seemed to be the mutual ability to synchronise without even trying..._

By instinct at the time, he pushed the thought away before it could falter him and his Best Man duties during the ceremony.

Now, she was in front of him, his lady for the night. He couldn't really gauge when the right time would be for him to tell her why he had actually shown up alone. Unbeknownst to her, Paula was out of the picture, and never to return.

While the first couple of months had been them living in a happy bubble, it was the little things Harvey noticed about _Harvey & Paula _that made him realize they were eventually never going to work out. For one thing, he couldn't help but keep bringing up some old story involving Donna when Paula initiated small talk. He had probably been doing it all his life without realizing it. Things like "Oh, Donna told me about a great tapas place once," or "Why don't you try that yoga studio? Donna goes there," often led to heated debates. Or, the fact that she truly didn't understand his love for baseball and his father's records or his balls, just merely accepted them with a nod and a smile. Marcus always asked how Donna was doing, so much so that Harvey didn't even bother telling him who he was currently seeing. And when the request to maybe stop talking about Donna was made, Harvey realized one thing- he didn't want to.

 _For all his life, all he had really cared about was the affections and reassurances of one woman..._

Once he realized, the little things just kept piling up. It wasn't long before he made an unexpected visit to Paula's after work, sat her down, and looked her right in the idea and told her the truth.

 _He was in love with Donna Paulsen_.

For someone with a Harvard Law Degree, he felt truly embarrassed that it taken him _this_ long to figure it out. He always knew he had a thick skull, but didn't think he himself was that thick either. All Paula could do was nod her head sadly, and he took that as the cue to leave so she could grieve by herself. He owed her that much, at least.

The problem is... he didn't know if she felt the same anymore. The whole thing with Paula had been a complete mess, and he had heard from Louis of all people how the Mark thing had gone down. He could punch the guy, except the fact that he was still married probably prevented from her falling into the douchebag's arms. Although, still- he just couldn't comprehend how she could possibly forgive him after being that hurt, so many times, for reasons all related to him. If only she could possibly understand how royally he fucked up and how sorry he was for it...

For the time being, all he could do was try and ignore how her laughs always tugged at his heart strings like no one else ever had. Eating those five olives were worth it if it gave him time with her and her alone; it had been something they'd had none of and he was about to crazy because of it.

"Harvey... are you having a stroke?" Donna waved her hands in front of his eyes and snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Woman, are you calling me old? Do I have to remind you I am only-"

"Hey! You just spaced out and freaked me out, that's all. I thought you'd gotten food poisoning from those olives or something."

"Just so I could be sent to a hospital and miss out on spending a whole night with you? Sorry, Donna, but you're going to have to try harder to get rid of me," he flashed one of his signature grins, testing the waters.

He noticed her blush. Hey, maybe he still had it. If she was as truly fucked without him as he was without her, then, hey- maybe he still had a chance.


End file.
